HOW EFFICIENT THEY ARE and
HOW INEFFICIENT WE ARE?
As usual, at the end of the
year, normally I will give a credit to my self by going for vacation or
holiday. In year of 2011, I did manage to grab some cash. Therefore, 2011
vacation it should be better compared to 2010. The planned started in October.
I did whisper to a few friends especially our ‘KAKI REDAH’ Club members. This
coming holiday, five of us will ‘redah’ (Jabar, Catherine, MacGregor, Pak Ngah
and myself). I’m given a responsibilities to make the master plan within the
cost, not more than RM 10,000.00 for hotel and transportation (air ticket from
any station to the first stop is not included = Heathrow).
The 1st Plan: (1st
Sortie) = From KLIA/any place to Frankfurt, spend 4 days in Frankfurt,
(2nd Sortie)
=Than from Frankfurt to Zurich (Swiztland), spend 3 days in Zurich, than proceed
to Geneva (spend 3 days in Geneva),
(3rd Sortie) = Than from Geneva to Lyon (France),
spend 2 days in Lyon, than proceed to Paris (spend 5 days
in Paris).
(4th Sortie = Than from Paris to London, spend 5
days in London for shopping.
Than form London, back to
KLIA.
However the 1st
plan cannot materialized because of Mac at last minute decided to take his GF
along. Due to speed train ticket and accommodation (I have to look for another
room for Mac), than I have to make another proposal.
The 2nd Plan: (1st
Sortie) = From KLIA/any place to Heathrow, London, spend 4
days for shopping;
(2nd
Sortie) =Than from London to Lausanne City, Swiztland, spend 5 days in Lausanne, Matreux, Geneva;
(3rd Sortie) = Than from Lausanne City to Paris, spend 5 days
in Paris;
Than form Paris back to KLIA.
(This planned did not even reach RM 10,000.00
because we escaped from paying the Heathrow airport tax (costly)).
In the process of booking
the hotel and speed train ticket, I did encounter a few problems, which is
cause by my mistake. As usual, anything in West and Europe, you want to save money,
please do it online. Search for the highest discount such 2 in 1, 3 in 1 etc.
THE 1ST
MISTAKE – EUROSTAR TICKET FORM PARIS DU NORD TO LAUSANNE CITY.
Actually, when we purchased
a train ticket either in London or Europe, we can print the ticket
immediately at home but we must tick at the delivery ticket option. I m successfully
did it, for the journey from London to Paris (transit) but form Paris to Lausanne City, I miss it. So I couldn’t
print out the ticket from Paris Du Nord to Lausanne City. Than I send an email to
the Eurostar Train Customer Svc.
My e-mail on
19/10:
Your question (Mohd Radzi Abd
Hamid)
|
19/10/2011 11.53 AM
|
Dear Sir, my booking
number is RONVD, RONVM.
I did a mistake for not tick on print by my own. So how I want to change it
from print at the station to print by my own? and to select/booked my own
sit.
Tq
|
Auto-Response
|
19/10/2011 11.53 AM
|
|
Surprisingly, they reply it
in the same day and offered a few options in order to solve my ticket problem.
Eurostar Reply on
19/10:
From: Eurostar
Support
To: radzi_hamid@yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday,
October 20, 2011 8:59 PM
Subject: Print my own [Incident: 111019-0002]
You have received an email from Eurostar. Please see below.
To reply to this email, please click on your reply button and type in the space
between the lines below.
[===> Please type your message below this line<===]
Noted. TQ
[===> Please type your message above this line <===]
Email on behalf of Eurostar from
(Thomas, Eurostar.com Support)
|
19/10/2011 02.04 PM
|
Dear Mr Abd Hamid
Thank you for your e mail.
Unfortunately, we are unable to issue print at home tickets for TGV bookings.
If convenient, we can post the tickets out to you.
If this works for you, please confirm a postal address.
Kind Regards
Thomas, Eurostar.com Support
|
So I reply the email and
told them my address on the same day. They reply it, just day after.
Eurostar email on 20/10:
Subject
|
Print my own
|
|
Content
|
Email on
behalf of Eurostar from (Thomas, Eurostar.com Support)
|
20/10/2011 01.59 PM
|
Dear Mr Abd Hamid
Please be advised that the tickets have now been posted to your address in Malaysia.
Kind Regards
Thomas, Eurostar.com Support
|
Happily, week after, our
ticket had reached my postbox. So efficient and customer first.
NOT 2nd MISTAKE – HOTEL PAYMENT
Yesterday, I did receive a
credit card bill, which stated the charged for Westpoint Hotel, London. It quit surprising because
I did not booked at the Westpoint Hotel. We booked at Abbey Court Hotel at Hyde Park, which is shopping street
in walking distance. The underground, just 30
meters
from the hotel door. The bill stated the same amount as per in the confirmation
slip at Abbey Court Hotel. So I sent an email to the
‘booking.com’, one of the online hotel booking company which we booked our
hotel.
In My email, I did query
about this confusing matters. We booked at Abbey Court Hotel but the bill stated
Westpoint Hotel.
The booking.com customers
service had reply my email even faster than Eurostar.
Dear Mohd Radzi Abd
Hamid,
Thank you for contacting Booking.com.
Please be advised that Booking.com does not take any form of payment from your
credit card at any time. The card details are given to the hotel at the time of
booking to guarantee the reservation in the event of a late cancellation, or a
no show. All payments are taken care of by the hotel during your stay, unless
otherwise stated on the website.
We have forwarded your email to the hotel. As soon as we receive an answer from
the hotel we will contact you. If you wish you can contact the hotel directly.
For your convenience below you will find the hotel contact details:
Abbey Court Hotel (Hyde Park)
Phone: +4420740207
Fax : +4420726220
Email: reservations@abbeyhotel.com
If you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for using Booking.com. We wish you an enjoyable stay at Abbey Court Hotel (Hyde Park).
Kind regards,
Please help improve our Customer Service by answering 3 simple questions: http://www.booking.com/questionnaire/bd2ef6bf125376b0.en.html?label=questionnaire
Armina Konakovic
Customer Service Team
Booking.com http://www.booking.com
I
did reply the email by stated ‘noted and tq’.
Than, booking.com reply it
ASP.
From: Booking.com
Customer Service
To: radzi_hamid@yahoo.com
Sent: Saturday,
November 12, 2011 11:12 PM
Subject: Abbey Court Hotel (Hyde Park) (78356)
Dear Mohd Radzi Abd Hamid,
Thank you for choosing Booking.com.
Further to your question regarding payment issues in connection with your
reservation 78356 at Abbey Court Hotel (Hyde Park) , please find below the
answer we have received from the hotel
=====================
Please advise guest that the charge on his account appears as Westpoint Hotel
because the Abbey Court Hotel is managed by Westpoint Hotels (Hyde Park) Ltd.
Than, tonight, I reply their
email. Happily.
I'm in the clear picture. Tq
for yr efficiency and kind explanation. I'm looking forward to have business wt
booking.com again in the near future. In my national language, Malay Language;
we said 'TERIMA KASIH' = Thank You.
In my mind, why we can’t be
efficient like them. If we cannot innovate, why we can’t, we just copy it. I’m
not intend to share how inefficient we are.